Love Has A Quiet Voice
by that-first-glance-feeling
Summary: (Set after Heroes And Villains) As Christmas approaches, Emma finally gets her own place and she has to deal with how that will affect her relationship with Killian, fighting against her past heartbreak and the urge to let her walls back up. With the Holidays upon them, Charming and Henry will also have to figure how or whether to include the pirate in the family's plans.
1. Chapter 1 - Afire love

**A/N: For my CS Secret Santa, Maggie (accio-ambition). This is a feelsy fic that was originally intended to be a one-shot but I just couldn't help myself. There's a lot of Captain Charming and Captain Cobra because I can't get enough of them in canon. Side effects may include tears and the occasional squealing. You've been warned ;)**

**Ps: Not all ten days until Christmas will be included since, just as in real life, some of them are pretty uneventful. **

**This is my first multi-chapter, so constructive criticism and reviews are more than welcome!**

**Thank you for reading and enjoy! xx**

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**8:47am - 9 days before Christmas**

_Darling hold me in your arms the way you did last night,  
And we'll lie inside a little while here  
I could look into your eyes until the sun comes up,  
And we're wrapped in light, in life, in love_

Emma stirs in her sleep as she hears these words playing in a soft melody she's sure she had never heard before. She reaches out to the other side of her new bed before opening one eye, feeling a familiar panic creep into her stomach when all her fingers find are cold bed sheets. Killian is not there.

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**11:53pm - 10 days before Christmas**

It was her (or should she say _their_?) first night in her new place, and after hours spent on cleaning around, unpacking bed linens and opening up the packages of her new furniture, one very tired Henry had left them to deal with the rest of it alone as he went off to spend the night at Regina's. And then some more exhausting minutes passed before Emma had finished putting together an Ikea bookshelf, whilst Killian couldn't help but stare flabbergasted as though she had mapped the seven seas all by herself.

Emma let out a heavy sigh before spreading her legs out in front of her as she sat on the cold floor. After Killian tilted his head to the side and looked at her with such tenderness in his eyes that she felt like her body was about to start melting on to the hardwood, she finally gave in to her sore muscles and decided they were done for the day.

"You are bloody brilliant, lass." Killian said as he helped her up to her feet and offered her one of his devilishly handsome grins along with his hands. Emma could have told him it wasn't really that complicated, that anybody with a brain could put together an Ikea bookshelf if they were just bothered to read the instructions sheet, but she thought better of it.

"You've told me that before, you know." She said, the corners of her mouth curving upwards tentatively. She had recently decided she quite liked the utter adoration that beamed from his eyes and enveloped her in a fuzzy warmth whenever he looked at her like that.

"Aye, that I did. And I still haven't changed my mind about you one bit, love." He said with so much sincerity that Emma was almost overwhelmed by the meaning behind his words.

"I really hope you won't." Emma said in a barely audible whisper, the words tumbling from her lips before she could stop them. She felt all of her her fears and insecurities from the countless times she was left alone building up in her chest and squeezing the air out of her lungs. She refused to close her eyelids and let the traitorous tears that had quickly prickled the corners of her eyes roll down her cheeks though, choosing instead to avert her gaze to Killian's collarbones and his ever-showing cloud of chest hair.

"Emma..." Killian whispered back, running his fingers along her jaw and stopping them in her chin, tracing that little dent he was so fond of.

"Look at me, love" he said before gently turning her face up and looking into her eyes with a genuine concern that made her slightly week in the knees. And in his eyes she found a calm ocean of blue gently washing away every single one of her fears - as paradoxical as it may seem, his was a sea she knew would never drown her, but rather would constantly bring her back to shore, relentlessly back and forth however many times she felt like she was submerging and needed desperately to breathe.

"As much as your mother loves to say all happy endings begin with _hope_, I like to think we're a bit past that stage, love." He said with a soft smile, his voice sounding like another promise he intended her to hold on to. Emma's lips parted of their own accord, but no words came out this time. This sounded a lot like his words to her in Neverland, words she knew she would never be able to forget.

(_When I win your heart..._)

(not _if_, _when_, as if he'd known all along somehow).

She was suddenly very glad he gave her a minute to prepare herself for his words when she realised her hands were shaky on his shoulders. As if he'd noticed it at the very same second she did, Killian's arms wrapped tighter around her waist, anchoring her to him.

"I want you to _know_ that I will never change my mind about you, Emma. I want you to _know _all I want is to never leave your side, which is where I'll happily remain for as long as you'll have me."

Whether it was the way his voice did not falter one bit as he said that, or the way she insistently tried to find any hint of a lie crossing his eyes and failed, or perhaps the fact that, for the first time in forever, her instincts were telling her to just _trust_ somebody and quit questioning it, Emma simply smiled. She let out a deep sigh and realised she'd been holding her breath all that time.

"Good." Her hands slided up from his shoulders and along his neck until they cupped his face. She looked deeply into his eyes trusting him to find there all the words she was still unable to say, but knew he would understand it all the same.

She'd never been more glad to be an open book for him than when he smiled in response, kissing both her palms before she gently pulled herself up to meet his lips. The kiss started gently as they were both afraid to overwhelm each other even more after that heartfelt talk. Then it quickly escalated and became more passionate as their bodies were set ablaze - urgency and desperation and _everything _flowing between them as they violently reassured one another of just how much they both_ needed_ to finally be _together_.

Killian pulled away first and rested his forehead against Emma's, breathing heavy, trying to reclaim the air back into his lungs. She felt her insides fluttering nervously in the most delicious way as she played with the hairs in his neck and he bumped their noses together. He was leaving a trail of kisses all over her face and god, she was grinning and chuckling like an idiot but she couldn't care less.

"I guess I should probably be going then, love. I'm afraid Granny still tries to enforce her bloody curfew, and I'm already breaking it by a over an hour." Killian said, kissing her cheek once more and curling an errant golden lock around his finger.

"Well, you really don't want to anger Granny, otherwise god knows what she'd put in your pancakes." She said smiling sheepishly at him. Killian chuckled and nodded, and moved to put some distance between them when she abruptly gripped the collar of his jacket forcing him to face her again.

"So... what if you didn't break the curfew tonight?" Emma asked lifting one eyebrow. Killian stilled and did nothing but blinking at her three times and searching her face, before he could bring himself to say something.

"Emma... are you sure?" Killian looked like he couldn't believe what was happening - or rather was too afraid of believing it in case this was just another one of his dreams.

"Aye, captain. Unless you're no longer interested in that coffee I offered you some time ago." She said with a cheeky smile and raising one eyebrow up suggestively.

Emma rested her hands on his shoulders once again and watched him give her the biggest smile she'd ever seen in that damn dashing face of his, dimples showing, nose scrunching and absolutely everything about it making her heart squeeze with sweet anticipation.

"I'll be damned if I ever find it in me to deny you anything, lass." And then they were kissing again.

Emma walked them backwards towards her room and their lips didn't part for a single second, her hands were feeling the leanness of the muscles in his chest through the soft fabric of his shirt, his arms darting to her lower back, his hand tracing the hem of her shirt and making her skin burn under his touch, liquid heat starting to pool low in her belly, and she knew the very first touch of his lips on that spot in her neck, just below her earlobe, had already been enough to set her entire body on fire.

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**8:50am - 9 days before Christmas**

_With your body next to mine our hearts will beat as one,  
And we're set alight, we're afire love_

Emma stops registering the music coming from outside her bedroom. Her stomach starts twisting into knots as old fears get the better of her one more time. She sits up in her bed and she's about to start looking for her phone to check if he had at least texted her before leaving when a sweet smell assaults her nostrils.

"Morning, beautiful." He says closing the distance between them and kissing her cheek before placing a mug of hot cocoa in her hands. She arches one eyebrow up at him.

"Hot cocoa? Really?"

"With cinnamon, of course." Her smile grows wider and she tilts her head to the side.

"Since when do you know how to make my family's favourite hot drink?"

"I'm a man of many talents, love. And Henry taught me how to make it when I brought him back to your parents's place the last time we went sailing." He says shrugging, as if the fact that he genuinely enjoys spending time with her son doesn't mean the world to her.

Emma crosses her legs beneath her and he sits next to her. She sips on her drink and hums in appreciation - how was it even possible that he had made her hot cocoa with cinnamon for the first time and it tasted just like her mother's?

"Apparently you're also a fast learner, this is delicious!"

"I'm glad it's to your liking." He smiles and places a lock of her hair behind her ear. "Now, if you'd allow me to treat my lady after the best sleep I've had in all my three hundred years of existence, what do you say you bring your mug to the kitchen and I'll make you breakfast?"

Emma is stunned for a moment when she realises she'd never had anyone to make her breakfast, not even Neal since they were always in such a rush to get moving and start on their daily thieving. She lifts one hand to trace the scar across his right cheek and gives him a watery smile before pressing a soft kiss that tastes of chocolate and cinnamon to his lips. She gets up and leads him by the hand towards the kitchen, using the opportunity for a change of subject that would divert his already-showing concern from her sudden emotional state.

"Hey, what's that song playing?"

The look on his face tells her that he is well aware of what she's doing, but also that he would, as always, respect her limits and let it go without questioning the reason for the tears threatening to take shape in her eyes.

"I don't know what it's called but I quite like the rhythm, plus the bloke's got a nice voice, so I thought I'd leave the radioactive music box at that station. Do you want me to change it?"

She hardly tries to stifle an outburst of laughter at his overcomplicated name for the musical apparatus he was apparently just starting to get acquainted with.

"No, I like it, leave it on. It's just called a radio and I assure you it's not _radioactive_ \- where did you even hear that word? And since when do you know how to operate a radio?"

"Henry taught me a few things about this realm and its technologies during the times we spent together. And I heard the word in one of those news programmes your father seems to watch regularly. When Henry told me the device's name I assumed that's what the man in the fancy suit meant."

He's looking down at his own feet and scratching that spot behind his ear - he looks actually embarrassed so Emma opts for another change of subject in her characteristic lack of subtlety.

"I wouldn't have thought you'd be one to like romantic music, though. Imagine what your crew would say if they learned the fearsome Captain Hook likes his sappy love songs."

"Oi! My crew knows their Captain's likes or dislikes only concern them if it relates to how clean my deck is. Besides, Swan, I'm only recently discovering some parts of this old pirate I thought were lost forever." He says as he shuffles his feet - that silly, endearing trait of his she can't help but adoring - moving into her personal space and wrapping both his arms around her waist, looking at her like he is contemplating the sea glinting in the sunlight through her green siren eyes.

"Let me guess, that is until you met me?" She beams at him with a cocky smirk on her face.

"Aye, precisely." Killian moves down to place one arm beneath her knees whilst keeping his other arm secured in her back and lifts her off her feet, kissing her senseless as he carries her back into the bedroom - breakfast completely forgotten.

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	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hooray! Lots of CS fluff and Daddy charming feels on this chapter :)**

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**7:09pm - 7 days before Christmas**

It had been a particularly stressful day at work considering there were no villains currently threatening Storybrooke, but even so it seemed like days off were something Emma would have to add to the list of things that were not in the cards for the Saviour.

She made a mental note to remind herself of buying Sneezy some antihistamines the next time she went to the drug store - after his sudden sneezing fit had caused some loose rocks in the mine to collapse down and trap him for hours that afternoon, she wasn't willing to risk it happening again. Either that would work, or she'd personally accompany him on an appointment with Dr. Whale. She would most definitely not let another allergy-triggered near-catastrophe make her work for two whole hours after her shift had ended.

Emma had just parked her yellow bug in front of the Sheriff station, cursing herself for having forgotten her phone there, when she saw her pirate boyfriend sitting on the pavement with a concerned frown marring his features. He was startled by the sound of her slamming her car door and his head shot up, a wave of relief immediately washing over his face as he rushed to his feet.

Killian ran to meet her and she had barely noticed he had her phone in his hands before he embraced her as tightly as when he found out she didn't fall into get trapped in the crocodile's magic hat.

"Emma, thank the gods. I heard people talking about a landslide in the mines and that you and David went there, and when I tried calling your talking phone and you didn't answer I- I was worried something had happened to you." He said in a rush to get the words out of his mouth, as if he wished such thoughts would follow suit and disperse from his mind, his distress clearly not allowing him to take a breath in between his sentences.

Before Emma could even say anything he was fiercely kissing her, pouring all of his relief into her lips.

"Hey, it's okay, Killian, I'm alright." She reassured him, cupping his right cheek and using her thumb to trace her favourite of the scars she'd seen all over his body.

"You're not the only one who can't lose somebody, too." He said, tilting his head to the side and smiling softly at her - his eyes searched her face for any signs of injuries as if he still needed to make sure she was 100% well.

"It's good that we understand each other, then."

"Don't we always, love? Now, allow me to escort you home." Emma was about to object and say he was being too precautious when he shushed her with a short, but firm press of his lips against hers. "You'll have to excuse me for not trusting the first time this town seems peaceful. I find it quite unsettling for some reason."

She smiled and shook her head admitting defeat - she wasn't used to people taking such good care of her, but with Killian, rather than finding it strange or annoying, she revelled in it.

"Fine, let's just go home." She laced her fingers with his, their arms swinging together as they walked towards her place.

Emma took her keys out of her pocket and let go of Killian's hand to open the front door when she felt a gentle grip on her wrist as he turned her to face him again.

"I probably should kiss you goodnight now, love."

"You're not coming in?"

"It's Wednesday, Swan. Henry's there - I'm sure you want to enjoy his company all the more after he chose to extend his weekend at Regina's without a dashing pirate distracting you from your boy."

Emma felt her heart squeeze with yet another instance of the endless understanding Killian never failed to show her. He was playing with a lock of her hair as she stared into his eyes for a few moments before saying, "That would be true, if it weren't for the fact that _my boy _seems to have missed you even more than he missed me." She rolled her eyes in feigned jealousy.

Killian laughed - a delicious sound Emma could never get enough of - and raised an eyebrow up, clearly amused with her revelation. "Oh, is that so? It appears Dave is not the only one I'm winning over in your family, after all."

She was about to add that Mary Margaret is another one who doesn't need much convincing on that respect - her mother is almost as smitten with Killian as Emma herself most of the time - but then she thought her pirate didn't need to have his ego even more inflated than it naturally was.

"I'd love to see my dad's face if he ever heard you calling him that." Killian chuckled and gave her a smirk which said that, one of these days, they might get to witness just that. "But yes, Henry asked me if you could stay over tonight so the three of us could have a themed movie marathon together. He wants us to basically spend all night on Netflix and watch all the movies from this realm portraying you, Captain."

Emma suddenly felt very vulnerable with Henry's request as she realised how close the three of them were to becoming a family. "Erm, I was going to call you after work but I left my phone at the station - which reminds me, you still haven't given it to me."

"Ah, it appears we're finally getting that Netflix date you mentioned too long ago." Killian said grinning from ear to ear before handing over her phone. Emma took it and she could have sworn she saw a flash of nervousness behind his smiling eyes. She also saw the moment when he noticed that she'd seen it. He kissed her forehead in a tender gesture, and moved forward to hold her tight and let out a deep, shaky breath.

"It would truly be an honour to me, Emma." He all but whispered in her ear.

Later that night, after Henry and her had laughed until their cheeks hurt at Killian's shock as he watched his animated version in disbelief, Emma would unlock her phone and discover a collection of 27 selfies Killian had taken while waiting for her at the station - his facial expressions ranging from concerned, to overdramatic worried, to smug, to mildly annoyed at her for never arriving.

She would get her revenge on him by taking his phone out of his jacket he left draped over the sofa downstairs and taking even more photos of herself before putting it back, tiptoeing back upstairs and joining him in bed.

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**9:34am - 6 days before Christmas**

"White americano, two sugars, here you go. At least that's what Granny told me you have when you don't order your usual hot cocoa." David says as he hands Emma a cup of coffee she hadn't even asked for - he only told her he was going to grab himself a latte at Granny's and would be back to the station in five minutes.

Sometimes Emma couldn't believe she now had two loving parents who had never wanted to abandon her, contrary to the countless nightmares that haunted her for her entire life up until the day she came to Storybrooke.

Her father was always incredibly attentive to her, always asking if she needed anything, as if she was still a little girl who needed her daddy to protect her, yet never implying that he didn't believe in her capabilities - he was actually one of the few people who believed in her and encouraged her even when she was doubting herself. She liked to think she would have been a daddy's little girl, had she been raised by such a charming father figure.

"Thanks, David. You didn't have to." She said, taking her cup from him and smiling before taking a sip.

"So... I found Henry at the bus stop on my way back. Apparently the school bus had a flat tire and was a bit late on schedule." David informed her matter-of-factly as he sank into the chair behind his desk, spilling a few drops of his coffee onto his shirt in the process.

"Really? Is it fixed? Do you think I should go and drive him to school?" Emma said, already grabbing the keys to her bug and handing a tissue box over to David on her way towards the door.

"Relax, Emma, they fixed it now. His new teacher was waiting with the class and she told me a replacement bus was already on its way to pick them up." He replied as he took some tissues and started wiping near his collar, shaking his head and chuckling at Emma's immediate instinct to rush to her son without thinking twice.

"I just mentioned it because I waited with him for a while, and he told me how much fun you two had with Hoo- Killian last night."

"Oh..." Emma felt her cheeks start to redden as she went back to her desk and sipped on her coffee. If David was about to give her another overprotective dad speech she would have to tell him the one he gave on her first date with Killian was quite enough.

"Don't worry, I won't give you another speech, if that's what you're thinking." Emma chuckled and gave him a relieved smile. "I just... I wanted to tell you that... seeing you with Killian and how happy you seem - not that you were miserable before, Emma, but you just look lighter and anyone can see how you're always beaming when he's around - what I'm trying to say is that I am really happy for you."

Emma was surprised to say the least - not that she thought David hated Killian or anything like that, but she knew that deep inside Prince Charming would have wanted his daughter to be with someone who wasn't... well, a pirate. But then again he'd also wanted to raise his baby girl as a princess living happily in their kingdom rather than finding an orphan who had to fend for herself for her entire life in the real world.

She had imagined many times how hard it must be for him to think of her and Killian together, which is why she was so overwhelmed with his words that she couldn't say anything. David took that as his cue to go on.

"Look, Emma, I know you probably think I don't approve of you dating him, but all this time he's been proving to everybody how he cares about you more than anything. And, to me, the fact that he would protect you with his life if that meant you'd never get hurt means more than whatever he used to do in his past. When you were trapped in the ice wall with Elsa, I was there with him on the other side. He was desperate to get to you just as much as I was - although, frankly I did a better job at keeping calm while he was bordering on a panic attack."

They both chuckled - Emma's chin was beginning to tremble with emotion while David had to look away for a bit before continuing in order to keep his tears at bay.

"Emma, you have to understand that even though I didn't get to raise you, to be there for you when you needed your family, even though I only got to be with you when you had already grown into this beautiful, strong woman you are, you'll always be my little girl. And to see that there is a man in this world who loves you almost as much as I do, and that he makes my little girl so happy, is the best Christmas present I could ever hope for."

His voice had started to break towards the end and Emma just couldn't take it anymore. She got up and hurried to embrace her father in a tight hug, and said, in between a few quiet sobs, her voice low and slightly shaking, "That was definitely an overprotective dad speech. I love you, dad."

David squeezed his eyes shut letting a single tear roll down his cheek and fall in his daughter's shoulder as he remembered there was a time he'd nearly lost all hope of ever finding his baby girl again.

And now here she was, held close to his heart, safe is his arms, happier than she had ever been, and not holding back from accepting her family anymore. His voice was soft and tender when he replied "I love you, too, sweetheart."

Emma realised she loved her father's voice so much because it was at the same time strong and comforting, and it sounded like _home_.

They pulled away, each with a watery smile on their faces and eyes slightly red rimmed.

"I talked to your mother about this before, and she feels the same way." Emma smiled - yep, she was right, Mary Margaret was definitely a fan of her and Killian being together.

"So we thought we should double check it with you if we can set an extra plate for him in our table for Christmas dinner. I mean, we know it's a lot of people to fit in a small apartment, especially now that Regina confirmed she's coming, but we figured it'll be nice and cosy."

Emma stilled at that suggestion. She hadn't even thought about that. She knew she'd be spending Christmas with her family and she knew she wanted to see Killian as well, but she hadn't actually considered bringing him into the family celebration until now. And now that she was considering it, she wasn't sure they were ready for that.

Sure, Killian loved being with Henry, and he was usually on good terms with her parents, but this was an entire evening he'd have to spend with all of them. What if he felt annoyed, or uncomfortable, or left out? No, she wouldn't let him feel left out. But then, she would probably be busy helping her mother around and wouldn't be able to keep an eye on him all the time. She didn't even know if he celebrated Christmas or not.

"Dad I- I'm sorry, but I don't know if me and Killian have reached the Christmas-family-dinner level yet..." She trailed off as she didn't know how else to explain her uncertainty.

She looked away suddenly feeling very self-conscious of the fact that she was the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, the product of True Love and no less, yet she was deeply insecure about her own relationship.

David immediately reached out to her and took one of her hands in his. "Hey, Emma, it's okay."

She was astonished to find out how similar to her dad she was when she realised she had done the exact same thing in her date with Killian.

"It was just a suggestion, you don't have to do anything you don't feel comfortable with. Just let us know what you decide when you do." He told her smiling softly and kissing the top of her head before letting go of her hand.

"We should probably tackle some of that paperwork now, uh?" David said, grabbing his cup of coffee and raising it to her in a mock-toast gesture.

Emma nodded and smiled in response. She was glad her father was so understanding, but now she had an issue she would have to deal with sooner or later, and Christmas Eve was only a few days away which didn't leave her with a lot of time to prepare herself. Add to that the fact that she didn't have the slightest idea how to even approach the subject with Killian.

Oh god.

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	3. Chapter 3

**This is the longest day in this countdown. It gets really angsty now, so you've been warned! But there's also a taste of Captain Cobra, and some beautiful fluff to make up for all the angst!**

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**4:41pm - 3 days before Christmas**

Killian was at the docks staring out at the sea thinking whether he'd be able to find any job in Storybrooke which would involve captaining a boat of some sort or at least- his talking phone started to ring. He took it from his pocket and he was about to answer it with a _"Missing me already, Swan?"_ when he saw a number he didn't recognize flashing in the screen.

"Ahoy?"

"Killian, it's Henry."

"Oh. How can I help you, lad?"

"What are you doing tomorrow?"

"I don't have any particular plans in mind if that's what you mean. Why do you ask?"

"Because my teacher just told us she can't come to school tomorrow, which means I'm free for pretty much the whole day!"

"Alright, that's good news I suppose. But I fail to see what that has to do with me."

"That has a lot to do with you because I was thinking... maybe we could go find my mum a Christmas present together?"

Killian felt his chest tightening with emotion. He loves Henry for having so much of his mother's impulsive, courageous nature, but also for having a lot of Baelfire's strong personality to him as well.

Deep inside he wishes that one day the boy will allow him be the family he was never able to be for Bae, though he dares not hoping for so much. Henry's spiteful words to him when he was under the Snow Queen's curse didn't really hurt Killian at the time. He knew it was only the spell talking, but that didn't mean the thought of Henry actually not wanting this _dirty pirate_ to be with his mother didn't haunt him whenever he recalled that moment.

(_I like you even less now that you and my mum are... together_)

Killian knew that as much as he loved Emma with every old, weathered fibre in his being, he would force himself to step away should Henry truly wish that. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he was to be the reason for another family's distress.

Which is why the fact that boy had invited him to spend the night over and watch those moving pictures with him and Emma meant so much for him. He would never forget it as it was the first night the three of them spent together, huddled on the sofa sharing a blanket, Henry sitting between him and his Swan, stealing glances at Killian's face when the boy thought he was too focused on the film to notice.

"Well that depends. Are willing to fill me in with more details about the _Christmas traditions_ of this realm? I don't know much other than people exchange gifts and eat absurd amounts of food on a certain day."

Henry laughed. "That's all you need to know, really. But yeah, I'll tell you all about it!"

"Then of course, I'd be most delighted to join you in the quest for the perfect present." Killian said with his accent much stronger than usual and a tone of mock solemnity that made Henry's boyish laughter reverberate in his ears - something he wanted to spend the rest of his life doing for both the boy and his mother.

"I'll see you tomorrow then, lad."

"Awesome! See you, Killian."

Killian hung up with a smile on his face, which only grew wider when he looked at his phone and realised it was almost 5pm. Emma must be getting ready to leave work, he thought. He got up from the bench and hurried to Granny's hoping he'd have time to grab some grilled cheese sandwiches to take out and meet Emma at the station before she leaves.

* * *

He reaches the station just in time to find her locking the doors and exiting the building.

"Swan. Don't make a man eat alone." He says raising a Granny's takeaway bag in his hand and shooting her one of his devilishly handsome smiles.

Emma takes the bag and opens it to peek at the contents. She looks up at him with a crooked smile, and gives him a quick kiss. "You know I can't resist grilled cheese. Shouldn't we go back inside? They said it was going to snow around this time and you're not wearing nearly enough layers to keep warm."

"I told you you don't have to worry about me, love. I'd worry about you being cold were you not wearing this interesting hat," he flicked the pom pom at the top of her beanie with his fingers, "but, seeing as you've got that plus _meself_ to keep you warm, I'd say we're ready to go."

She scrunched her nose and stuck her tongue out at him, but gladly took his arm when he offered it to her before they started walking.

"And where, if I may ask, are we going exactly?"

"I'm walking you home, Swan, but I thought you'd like to make a stop at the docks to enjoy the view of the sea during the first _natural _snowfall of the year." Emma smiled.

"I'll definitely enjoy not having to guess at what the snow means this time." She said before kissing his cheek and taking the bag from his hand. "And I'm sorry, but I'm starving, and I'm not going to wait until we get there to devour this. Care to join me?"

She took the first grilled cheese out of the paper bad and held it before his mouth. Killian chuckled and took a bite before taking it in his hand. She took the other sandwich and they walked to the docks in silence with only the comfortable sound of their munching filling the chilly air.

* * *

They got to the docks and instead of turning right and entering Emma's street, they went straight on to sit on a bench by the water.

By the time they sat down the snow had started to fall in soft flakes that were sprinkled all over Killian's dark hair, making Emma want to run her hands through its silky softness more than ever - which she did, just because she could. As she did so she was sitting with a leg folded beneath her and with her front facing Killian, who then noticed she had some bread crumbles on her chin.

"You've got a little something here, darling." He gently grabbed her chin and wiped it with his thumb, as well as the corner of her mouth.

Emma could not stifle her giggle as she smiled and looked into his forget-me-not blue eyes, which seemed to have morphed into an icy hue with the current weather; and, at that little moment, she felt like the world was completely frozen apart from the snowflakes swirling around them, enveloping the two of them in their little cloud of something so true, and so tangible yet invisible, that it was almost like there was some sort of _magic_ between them.

"Is everything gone now?" She asked, green still locked on blue. "No, I believe there is still some left here, and here..." Emma closed her eyes as he kissed both corners of her lips. "Here..." He kissed her cheek. "Here..." He booped her nose with his index finger before kissing it, too. "And here..." And then he crashed his lips to hers, his hand cupping her cheek at first, before moving to her hair while his hooked arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her close to him so that she was sitting on his lap.

Emma's hands were pulling at the hairs on the back of his neck, then feeling the lean muscles of his back before she brought one hand up to his chest and the other one to his face. She pulled away and touched their foreheads together breathing heavily as she felt the steady (though very accelerated) thump-thump of his heartbeat through her fingers.

She was using it to calm herself down, and Killian knew their kiss wasn't the only thing that had caused her agitation - it was chiefly the recent events where the crocodile had nearly crushed his heart into dust that were behind the storm brewing in her mind. He placed his hand above hers and opened his eyes to find hers red rimmed, with a small tear that had taken shape there but had not yet tumbled over.

"Emma... it's here, it's all yours, love, and it's not going anywhere, I promise you that." He pressed their hands firmer against his chest.

She took a sharp intake of breath, and held it in for a few moments before letting it out and nodding.

"I know, and I'll make sure you keep that promise."

She took another deep breath and held her hand over Killian's chest, hovering just above where she believed his heart was. She looked up to find him smiling softly at her as if he had a pretty good idea of what she intended on doing.

"Can I?" The frown clouding her features showed him how nervous she was feeling. He kissed her, a soft but firm press of his lips against hers that communicated the unspoken _you can do this, I trust you._

"Go ahead, love."

Emma squeezed her eyes shut and focused her thoughts on how she felt when Gold froze her at the clock tower and she thought she'd have to watch Killian having his heart crushed in front of her. When she felt her hand starting to shake she directed her thoughts to how his kiss felt different, stronger, how it just felt _right _after she had punched his heart back into him. She thought of how she only wanted to be able to kiss him like that forever, with his heart confirming its presence by beating fiercely against her own chest. She could immediately feel her magic blooming from beneath her breastbone, spreading all over her body and prickling at the tip of her fingers.

She moved her hand forward and pressed her flat palm against his chest. Emma whispered the words _protect what's mine _and felt a sudden whoosh, a surge of white light emanating from her hand right into his chest.

She opened her eyes and saw a golden glow gradually fading from the spot where her hand still touched his skin and saw Killian marvelling at her with a proud smile on his lips. He looked as though he was happier about the fact that she had successfully conjured a spell out of nothing but her instincts than the fact that his heart was now safe. Which the idiot probably was.

"Thank you, Swan. You are bloody wonderful." He said and gave her a chaste but firm kiss on the lips.

"Now there's only one more thing I have to do." She said, her face falling a little and showing him a sad smile when she looked up at him again.

"What is it, love?" He tried to suppress the panic threatening to creep into his mind as he started to worry that maybe protecting his heart was some sort of final gesture before she left him, because maybe she was still mad at him for not telling her of his deal with Rumplestiltskin and for nearly dying. Maybe she didn't want to be in this relationship with him anymore.

Emma got up from his lap and stood, looking at him solemnly and taking a deep breath before turning around and taking two steps towards the edge of the pier.

She reached behind her neck and opened the clasp of her necklace, taking off Neal's keychain and holding it firmly in a fist. Emma was so immersed in her own thoughts that she didn't ever hear Killian's footsteps approaching her - she only felt his warm hand on her shoulder, smoothing down her arm until he took her left hand in his and stood by her side. Killian looked out at the sea and they both stayed like that for a few moments before he turned to face her.

"Emma... you know don't have to..." He couldn't bring himself to finish what he was going to say. He knew how much Neal meant for Emma, knew how she would always have a special place in her heart for the man who was her first love and the father of her son. Killian himself felt a strong, fatherly affection for Baelfire, as well as a debt to the boy who had his family destroyed partly because of him, both of which made him respect his memory too much to say speak up at that moment.

"But I have to, Killian. I need to do this. Not just for you, or us. I need to do this for myself." She took another deep breath and turned away from the water to look deep into his eyes as she pronounced her next words.

"I've been wearing this all these years as a reminder not to trust anyone again, and now I think I've finally learned I was wrong in doing that. Yes, it helped me to protect myself from people who could have hurt me, but it also kept out people I wanted to trust, people I wanted to let in. I first learned that when I found my family here. But, it was still hard for me to accept them even after I broke the curse, even after they told me they never wanted to abandon me in the first place." Her voice started to break.

She looked down at her fist and closed her eyes, finally allowing the tears she'd been holding back to run thick down her cheeks. Killian let go of her hand to gently wipe them away and place a kiss to her forehead before cupping her face. She leaned into his touch, bringing her left hand up to cover his and feeling herself ready to look him in the eyes again.

"But I also learned that my parents were not the only ones I was shutting out with all the walls I used to have around me. You know that better than anyone." He gave her a watery smile of his own, his emotions also starting to take him over with her words.

"I think it's _about bloody time _I listened to this advice someone gave me a while ago and try something new called trust." He huffed out a laugh at her endearing attempt to mock his accent, though a single traitorous tear escaped his eye and rolled down his cheek. She sniffed a little and gave him a brave smile, finding in his loving eyes the strength she needed to do what she knew she must.

Emma turned and took another step until she was standing on the very edge of the pier. She stretched out her arm and took a sharp intake of breath. She opened her fist and let the key chain fall from the palm of her hand and sink into the water.

Suddenly she felt like a big weight had been lifted off her shoulders - the weight of all the disappointments she'd been carrying with her in Neal's token to remind herself of the countless reasons why she had her walls miles up.

She felt a pair of strong arms wrapping around her from behind and she let her head fall back in Killian's shoulder as she looked up to the sky - the snow was still falling lightly and she enjoyed feeling the cold snowflakes refreshing her skin while Killian's kisses to her temple warmed her from within. She turned around to face him and look into his eyes.

"Thank you for not giving up on me, Killian."

"My love, I believe I couldn't have even if I wanted to." he said, tilting his head and giving her a lopsided smile. "I don't think I told you this before, but during the year we spent apart, when I tried to make myself forget your memories and go back to my old life, I'd look up to the sky and find Cygnus there to remind me that I had to find you no matter the cost."

"Cygnus?"

"Aye, love. It's a constellation I grew particularly fond of during that time. It has the form of a Swan." He told her with a soft smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.

Emma was now definitely sure she'd done the right thing by letting go of Neal's keychain. She held his face with both hands and ran her thumb along that scar she loved on his right cheek before giving him a kiss that told him all she couldn't quite put into words yet.

He pulled away after a few moments and bumped their noses together affectionately. Emma opened her eyes to find his too-blue ones smiling at her, and she thought that moment couldn't get any more perfect. She almost felt sorry that she had something important to ask him which might ruin it if he didn't react well to it.

"Killian, I need to ask you something." She put some distance between them to look at his expression as she asked him. "And it's okay if you say no. Just say what you honestly think, alright?"

"Have I told a lie?" He said in all seriousness, though his eyes still smiled at her and the corners of his mouth curved up softly. "What is it, love?"

"Would you like to spend Christmas with me, my parents and Henry? And Regina, I think, if she actually shows up." She drew her bottom lip between her teeth and searched his face for any signs of hesitation, doubt, or anything negative really, but she found none of it there.

Killian smiled from ear to ear and brought his hand to her neck to pull her into another kiss, a quick one, but which made her eyelids instantly flutter closed and sent a jolt of warmth down her spine that made her curl her toes nonetheless.

"I'm assuming that's a yes?" She asked breathlessly.

"I've no clue what that Christmas you mentioned is, but given how everyone's talking about it all the time - including the man in a fancy suit your father always watches in the talking tv box - I'd assume it's an honour to be invited to an event of that importance."

Emma chuckled at his always _quite perceptive_ self. "Well, yeah, but remember it's nothing fancy. It's just dinner in a crammed apartment, really."

"Love, it's always my pleasure to spend time with you and your family. I would certainly go even if the sodding crocodile was there, too." Emma shuddered at the mention of the man who almost took Killian away from here.

"It's a good thing he won't be anywhere close to us. I still haven't punched him square in the face for what he did to you. If he-"

"Shh, don't say it, love." He silenced her wrapping his arms around her and letting her burrow her face in his neck. She inhaled that scent of the sea and _Killian _that seemed to exhale from his pores and pressed her hand to his chest, letting his smell and the rhythm of his heartbeat calm her down.

"I promised you won't ever lose me, and now you've made sure the only one who can take hold of my heart is you. There's nothing to worry about anymore, darling."

She let his words soothe her for a moment before lifting her head from his shoulder and kissing him - she felt him smiling against her lips and she had the feeling that no matter what villains threatened them next, nothing would ever come between them. He promised her she wouldn't lose him, and she knew he would never tell her a lie.

"I suppose you should go now, love. Henry is probably wondering what's taking you so long to get home from the station."

Emma suddenly remembered she hadn't even left dinner ready for Henry, and the kid was _always _hungry, which meant that he was probably annoyed after waiting for so long now.

"Damn it, you're right. I need to go home. Are you spending the night with us again?" She asked with an inviting smile.

"I'd love to, Swan, but I have an important appointment early in the morning that I cannot miss. If I were to stay over we both know it would be too hard for me to leave you in bed before you have to go to work."

"Hm okay. What's this important thing you have to get to anyway?" Her eyebrows slightly frowning into an expression that looked a bit like... _jealousy_? No, he couldn't be that lucky to make his Swan jealous as well as curious about his secret doings.

"I can't tell you, love. For now it suffices that you know I really can't miss it."

The frown on her face deepened and, mind you, it was jealousy indeed what was written all over Emma Swan's face.

"What? Why can't you tell me what it is? _Killian_..." Her warning tone told him she had quickly jumped from jealousy of his _appointment _possibly involving another female to genuine worry in case he had gotten into trouble again.

"It's nothing you should be worried about, I assure you. And not just because you've now given my heart the ultimate protection it needed. It's alright, Swan."

Apparently she was content with that answer given the glimmer in her eyes when she beamed at him in response.

She'd never been more beautiful to him than at that very moment, when she was surrounded by snowflakes that fell softly in her golden hair and smiling at him, happy just to know that he was safe. But then again, that same thought kept crossing his mind again and again whenever they had a quiet moment together, and he knew it was because somehow he managed to love her a little bit more with each day that passed.

Killian looked at her with unutterable adoration in his eyes and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, his fingers sliding along her jaw line and stopping at her chin. He gently tipped her face up and leaned in, lightly tracing her lips with his thumb before kissing her passionately. He fastened one arm around her waist and bent down to place his other one below her knees and lift her up into his arms.

He was carrying her down the street, his lips never leaving hers until she pulled away, looking at him slightly confused.

"What are you doing?"

"What sort of gentleman would I be if I didn't drop my lady at her door before saying goodbye for the night? And besides, if I'm not going to spend tonight by your side, I fully intend on making the most out of the few moments we have left, love."

Emma flashed him a crooked smile and he wiggled his eyebrows in response. "That sounds good to me."

He shifted his grip on her making her bounce from his arms a little and she giggled - a sound he deeply cherished whenever she allowed herself to be a giggly person around him. And then he resumed kissing her.

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**Review? :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**From now on you'll be getting much shorter chapter as the story is coming close to its end! Thank you for reading, and remember reviews are always appreciated! xx**

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**12:37pm - 2 days before Christmas**

"Are you sure only the dress is enough, lad?" Killian asked, peeking at their shopping bag for what was probably the 26th time.

"I'm telling you, Killian, don't worry. People don't give each other nearly as many presents as you wanted to get my mum on Christmas." Henry put his hand on Killian's shoulder in quite an adult manner, giving him a reassuring smile.

"I got that, but..." He started to scratch that spot behind his ear. "You told me Christmas is a special holiday to be celebrated amongst your family and loved ones, correct?"

"Yep."

"So, I think we'd be right to assume this will be Emma's first Christmas with her entire family gathering together. I want to make it memorable to her, I want it to be as special as can be." He said, surprisingly finding himself blushing ever-so-slightly.

"You're right, I remember our holidays together when we lived in New York with our fake memories, but apart from that I don't think my mum has ever had a real Christmas in family."

Henry's expression fell a little, and he looked down at the bag in Killian's hand disappointed with the dress it took the them over three hours to decide on buying.

"Hey, I am certain Emma will be more than pleased with the dress we chose, though. I just think we should get her something to complement the gift and make the whole of it-"

"-perfect. I agree. Mum deserves to have her first real Christmas be perfect." He finished Killian's sentence with a grin on his face. "But do you really think she'll like the dress? What if she thinks the colour is a bit too much?"

Killian couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips as memories of a certain time he waltzed with Princess Leia flooded his mind.

"Trust me on that one, lad. Your mother looks ravishing in red, and she's perfectly aware of that. She'll love it." He could already see his Swan wearing it on a special occasion and he wishes she'll someday choose to wear it especially for him.

"Okay... do you have any idea what else we should get her?"

Killian scanned the windows of the shops around them with a grimace, until his eyes landed on a jeweller's and his lips quickly curved upwards in a grin.

"I think I might."

They entered the shop and Henry went to look at the bracelets on display while Killian went straight for the necklaces. He looked at many pendants: delicate little hearts with swirly designs around them, larger pendants in various shapes encrusted with diamonds; all of those were pretty in their own way but none seemed perfect for his Swan. Killian was about to give up on the necklace idea and join Henry at the bracelets section when something caught his eye at the far end of the display.

"Could I have a look at that one, please?" He asked the shopkeeper, who placed a delicate pendant on Killian's hand - it was a silver helm with a swan on top of it and Killian couldn't believe he had actually found something that represented him and his Swan so well. He felt it in his heart this would be the perfect present for Emma's first Christmas surrounded by all the people who loved her. He called Henry, who ran from the other side of the shop with excitement shining in his eyes.

"What do you think, lad? A bit hackneyed, do you reckon?" Killian asked, feeling unusually insecure thinking perhaps Emma would find it too cliché.

"Not at all. Mum is going to love it, Killian. It's perfect." Henry ran his index finger over the pendant still in Killian's hand and nodded energetically in approval.

Killian smiled fondly at the boy and ruffled his hair before throwing his arm around his shoulders and pulling him closer with a light squeeze on his arm, feeling a fatherly affection overwhelm him a little as they stayed like that for a few moments, both imagining Emma's reaction when she saw it.

"Alright, now why don't you help me choose a chain to go with it?"

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**Naaaawww that was so cute. I am a sucker for Captain Cobra, as you can probably tell from this story.**

**Review?**


	5. Chapter 5 - So in love

**Aaaand we've finally reached Christmas Eve! Here you go, have some precious puppy!Killian being all nervous about giving Emma the necklace plus a lot of fluff, of course ^-^ **

**Enjoy, cupcakes! xx**

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**5:03pm - Christmas Eve**

"COME IN!" Emma shouts from her bedroom hoping Killian can hear her from the front door. He walks in and automatically smiles when he registers the fact that she has the kitchen radio on and the song that's playing is by that same singer whose soft voice he'd chosen to fill her apartment with on the first morning they woke up together.

He starts sauntering towards her bedroom when her voice stops him in his tracks. "Don't come in here, I'll be ready to go in a second."

"Any particular reason you don't want to me to enter the bedroom, love? You're not hiding another pirate who's surely not half as dashing as me in there, are you?"

Emma laughs and he can _hear _her rolling her eyes.

"You're an idiot, you know that? Just wait for me in the living room. I'm almost ready."

Emma sprays some more of the perfume that drives him crazy every time she wears it around her neck and hair, and checks herself in the mirror. She really shouldn't be as nervous as she is, it was just dinner with her parents, Killian, Henry, Regina and Robin, after all. No big deal right? She saw them all the time. Just not all gathered together around a table celebrating together as one big, merry family. _Family_. The word crosses her thoughts and she smiles with the bitter-sweet realisation that this was going to be the first time she'd spend Christmas with a real family around her.

She still cherished the fake memories from all the Christmas where it was just her and Henry having some fancy takeout food and watching a series of Christmas films on tv until they were both ready to go to bed; but this time was different, _very _different. It was the first time Emma would be surrounded by her parents, her son and her boyfriend during that time of the year when she would often cry herself to sleep as a little girl who wanted nothing more than to be able to wake up and run to hug her parents on Christmas morning.

She takes a deep breath, smoothes her hands down her the flowy skirt of her dress, runs her fingers through her loose curls falling around her face and down her shoulders, and finally walks out to meet Killian in the living room.

He is pacing back and forth between her sofa and the kitchen island holding something small in his hand, but he stops and haphazardly shoves it into his pocket as soon as he sees her. The huge grin in his face, the one that reaches all the way up to his eyes making them sparkle as he takes her in, is something devastatingly handsome.

She comes closer biting her lower lip and with her eyebrows up asking for his verdict.

"You look stunning, Swan... as always."

Killian uses the music filling the air around them to take her hand and twirl her before bringing her back into his arms, swaying them slowly to the rhythm of the song.

_You look so wonderful in your dress, I love your hair like that,  
The way it falls on the side of your neck, down your shoulders and back _

Emma giggles in spite or herself and presses a chaste kiss to his lips. "You don't look so bad yourself."

"I know." He winks at her. She rolls her eyes, of course.

"Henry told me you two picked the dress together when he gave it to me earlier. Did you really go Christmas shopping with him when you told me you had an 'important appointment' that you couldn't miss?"

"Aye. And it took us a good few hours to find that dress, but oh, it was definitely worth the search."

"Because I cut quite the figure in it?" She says, mocking his accent.

He huffs out a laugh and kisses her cheek. "Lass, you need to stop throwing all my lines back at me. And you're awful at mimicking my accent, darling."

She scrunches her nose and sticks her tongue out at him. "Maybe, but you love it anyway."

"That I certainly do."

He sees something briefly flashing behind her eyes before her expression changes and becomes slightly more serious as she looks deeply into his eyes. The hopeful gaze with which she is searching his face for any signs of a lie tells him everything he needs to know. His nervousness from before dissipates and he knows she's more than ready for the present he'd been debating with himself whether he should give it to her or not.

"As much as I'd love to dance the night away with you, Swan, I don't believe your parents will be happy if I make you get there late for their first Christmas with their daughter."

Emma chuckles. "Don't worry, I'll save you a dance for later." She says, winking at him.

"I'll hold you up to that. But, before we leave, I've got something to give to you."

She flashes him a toothy grin and watches him reach into his pocket and present her with a small blue velvet box which has a blue ribbon tied around it.

"Merry Christmas, my love."

Emma unties the ribbon and opens the box, finding the delicate swan and helm pendant on a silver chain inside. She runs her index fun over it as tears start to prickle her eyes, and looks up to meet Killian's gaze, thinking the worried expression on his face is only another endearing part of her present.

"Killian..."

"I understand if you think this is a bit too much too soon, I can-" She silenced him gripping at the collar of his jacket and crashing her lips against his. He stills for a moment but quickly recovers from his shock and lets his hooked arm bring her even closer to him as his hand gently holds her face.

"Shut up, pirate. I love it." Emma says with a tone with emotion to her voice that doesn't go by unnoticed.

He takes the necklace from the box and holds it in front of her. "May I?"

She nods and turns around. She gathers her hair to the side so he can close the clasp and place a kiss on the back of her neck, delighting in the way her hairs there stand up and she shivers ever-so-slightly.

She turns around to face him again and raises her hand to cup his face and run her thumb along the scar across his cheek.

"Thank you, Killian." She says giving him a watery smile.

He kisses her forehead and loops his finger around a lock of her hair.

"Don't thank me, love. I'm happy you're happy with it. Now, shall we go?" He offers her his arm, which she readily takes with a smile, and they make their way to the Charmings's apartment.

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** _Should this be the last thing I see  
I want you to know it's enough for me,  
'Cause all that you are is all that I'll ever need  
I'm so in love..._**

**This song is so Captain Swan I just couldn't resist writing them slowdancing to it. But hey, guess what? It gets even fluffier after that! Next on: Christmas dinner at the Charmings's**

**Review?**


	6. Chapter 6 - Christmas dinner

**CHRISTMAS DINNER AT LAST. Warning: this chapter might just give you a Captain Cobra feels overload ;) xx**

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**7:45pm - Christmas Eve**

Mary Margaret was washing the dishes while Regina dried them with a kitchen cloth and Emma put them back into the cabinets. Killian was by the living room window with David, who showed him the telescope his wife got him for Christmas with all the excitement of a 4-year old.

Henry was _not_ watching a Home Alone marathon that was on tv, conspicuously texting Grace and wishing her a Happy Christmas instead. He wondered when he'd get the courage to ask her out - he'd been developing a crush on her for quite some time, but he still felt too nervous to tell her how he felt since they were really good friends and he was afraid that could change.

"You know, you should just go for it and tell her, lad." Henry startled and turned to see Killian sitting down beside him on the carpet.

"What- What are you talking about?" He said with a nervous laugh.

"Oh come on lad, I'm perceptive enough to know you've been having a crush on Jefferson's daughter for a while now."

"How do you know? Did you tell my mum?" Henry's eyes widened.

"You were exchanging messages all day with her during the one time you didn't go to school. That and the fact that you blushed when I mentioned Grace's name were what gave you away.

Henry's eyebrows furrowed in embarrassment and, there it was, that adorable crimson stated to spread through his cheeks and the boy resembled his mother more he knew it himself.

"And don't worry. I haven't told her, and I will do no such thing. I figured you'd prefer to tell her yourself when you feel ready to."

"Thanks, Killian." Henry let out the breath he'd been holding back. He had no idea what to expect from Emma's reaction, but he knew once she found out she'd tell Regina, and he was deadly scared of what her overprotective wrath would look like. The shock on her face when he mocked her saying he was dressed up to get married was enough to warn him of what could come when he actually started dating. "But, I don't think I'm going to tell her. Grace, I mean."

Killian tilted his head to the side and read Henry's features, recognising in the boy the same insecurity that used to get the better of him in his younger years until Liam would come and tell him to just give it a try, say the words, and let his dashing looks do the rest of the job for him.

"And why is that?"

"She doesn't like me. She's one of my closest friends but if she liked me more than just as a friend, she would have told me by now. I just need to forget it." Henry told him, bringing his knees up to his chest and resting his chin on them.

"Have you stopped to consider that perhaps she's just as afraid of telling you as you are of telling her?" Henry looked at him in silence, thinking about that possibility for the first time. "Haven't you liked her for a long time and never said a word about it? She might be just the same, lad."

"Do you really think she might like me back?" He looked at Killian with wide, expecting eyes.

"I don't think a young lass would be wasting her day off school talking to a boy she didn't like a lot." He told him with a wink.

"Thanks, Killian!" Henry nearly shouted, throwing his arms around the pirate almost making both of them fall back on the carpet.

"Anytime, lad." Killian replied with his eyes squeezed shut, embracing him tight, trying his best not to get emotional over a simple conversation with the boy he'd come to adore almost as much as his mother, and failing miserably at that.

Killian opened his eyes to find Emma staring at him and Henry with a rush of emotions flashing behind her eyes as she stood with her arm outstretched towards the cabinet and a plate in her hand, her movement stopped midway when she found her two boys bonding beautifully in front of her eyes.

(She decided having her family celebrating together was the best Christmas present she'd ever gotten.)

"And then you say you two don't make eyes at each other all the time." Regina blurted huffing out a laugh.

Emma snapped out of her musings and turned around blushing. Regina had, surprisingly, a friendly smile on her face, and she lightly tapped Emma on the shoulder before handing her another plate and looking away as she spoke. "It's alright, I'm done being bitter with everyone around me. Besides, it's Christmas Eve, and if you're lucky enough to have your Captain heart-eyes beside you, then you should enjoy it."

Emma looked at her with a tight smile, and it was her turn to put a hand on the other woman's shoulder.

"Hey, I meant what I said to you when Henry showed us the secret library in that mansion. Operation Mongoose is on, and I'm in. We all are. We are getting your happy ending Regina. You're as much of a part of this family as anyone else in this room, and if there's one thing my parents taught me, it's that you never give up on family."

Regina nodded, a hint of emotion threatening to take the shape of a tear in her eyes. "Thank you."

David seemed to have suddenly lost interest in his telescope as he quickly crossed the living room in a few strides and made his way to the kitchen, ready to ask the ladies the real question everyone was wondering.

"So, is it time for dessert yet?"

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**I kept imagining what sort of dessert they would have for Christmas dinner, and the thing that jumped to my mind was some sort of chocolate pudding. I really cannot explain why, but I just have a feeling David is the chocolate-y type. **

**Also who would have made it? Snow? Regina? Snow and Emma together? Just Emma?**

**How do you guys imagine the Charmings's Christmas would have been?**

**On the next and final chapter: Emma gives Killian his Christmas present, and I can guarantee you it's something HUGE! Any ideas?**


	7. 7 - Let the words slip out of your mouth

**A/N: Happy Christmas to all of you, sparkly cupcakes! *throws all sorts of glitter and fake snow in the air***

**I left this final for today so that the story would catch up with our real time, isn't that nice? :D If you managed to keep up with this story up until now, I only have to thank you! I hope you're having amazing holidays wherever you are in the world! Please drop me a review, or any feedback really, if you can. This is my first long fic and I'd love to know what your thoughts on it are! **

**Also, a huge thanks to CuteMcBeauty, Melly236 and daniellm for your kind words and ideas! I hope I don't let you down with this ending! :)**

**There will be an epilogue to this story, which I shall post in the next few days, and I you'll like that as well! Let's be real, we all want to know if Emma would give Killian a private fireworks show for New Year's Eve *wink wink***

**Now, without further ado, enjoy the last chapter! xxx**

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**00:17am - Christmas day**

Emma barely has time to lock the door behind them before Killian grabs her waist from behind and spins her around so she is facing him. He pins her against the door and kisses her senseless, his hand tugging lightly at her hair, his hook finding the hem of her skirt and sliding up her knee and thigh, the coolness of the metal forming a delicious contrast to the burning sensation left by the trail of kisses he plants along her jaw line and neck. Emma moans softly as she digs her nails deep into his shoulders, while her other hand grips the hairs on the back of his neck to pull his face away from hers for a bit.

"Before we do that... I want to give you your Christmas present." She manages to say through her heavy breathing.

"Swan, my best and most precious present will always be you. And considering you're all wrapped up in red tonight, I'd say you look very Christmas-y." He grinned at her, adoring eyes darting to her lips. But before he can close the distance between them again Emma holds a finger up to his lips.

"While that's good to know, I think you'll like my present a little, too." She says pressing a quick kiss to his lips and disappearing into the apartment.

He sighs and shakes his head, smiling at himself for having been so lucky as to find a ray of sunshine to break through the darkness that was gradually consuming him before he met Emma.

He walks to the kitchen and turns on the radio, remembering Emma had promised him a dance earlier. He fully intends on twirling her in his arms for a good many times tonight - after all it'd be a waste of her beauty if he didn't treat her like a princess when that's exactly what she looked like in the dress he and Henry got her.

He leaves the radio on the same station it was when they left her apartment earlier that day, not even registering the song that's playing since Emma comes back to the living room at that instant. She stops before him with a sheepish smile on her face, to which he returns a wide grin of his own.

"Close your eyes and give me your hand."

He does as he is told.

Killian feels a cool piece of metal being pressed to the palm of his hand, which Emma holds gently with both her hands.

"You can open your eyes now."

He opens his eyes and finds a small key lying in his hand.

"Emma..."

"I'm sorry I didn't have the time to wrap it up." She says, looking down at her feet when she feels the crimson start to colour her cheeks.

"Is this..." He is actually speechless as he looks at the small object in his hand like it is the most precious treasure he had ever found. "Is this a key to your apartment?"

Emma looks up at him smiling with an expecting sparkle in her eye.

"Well, you can call it _ours _from now on."

"As you wish." He says before wrapping his hooked arm around her waist, bringing her closer to him, and pressing a kiss to her lips. He touches their foreheads together and sighs, his eyes finding his future reflected in the green depths that shined back for him, both her eyes and her lips beaming at him.

He carefully puts the key into his pocket and then places his hand at the small of Emma's back, bringing her a little closer to him as she lays her head on his shoulder. He places a kiss on her hair and closes his eyes, leaning his cheek against her head, cleaning his mind of all thoughts and enjoying the beauty of this moment, swaying them slowly in small circles around her living room where the only sound apart from their steady breathing is that of the music playing softly in the background.

_And in the wind of a heavy choice, love has a quiet voice  
Still your mind, now I'm yours to choose_

"I love you, Killian." Emma suddenly blurts out, only realising what she'd let slip from her lips when she hears her own voice pronouncing the words. Her eyes dart open and she looks up at him expecting panic to shoot through her bloodstream, but finding instead that she's never felt this confident and happy before.

She sees his entire face softening into an image she wants to imprint in her brain and memorise it forever: his smile growing even wider as his arms bring her impossibly closer to him, his sapphire eyes shining more than ever for her.

"I've loved you always, Emma."

_And I know, the scariest part is letting go  
Let my love be the light that guides you home_

_Let the words slip out of your mouth._

* * *

_~THE END~_

**Review? :D**


	8. Epilogue - part I

**HAPPY NEW YEAR MY DARLING CUPCAKES!**

**First and foremost, I am sorry for not uploading the epiogue sooner - these last few days since Christmas have been hectic for me and filled with family issues that go decades back [insert wistful sigh here]. And as much as I would have loved to use writing as a delicious means of escape, I didn't have enough time in my hands to do so :(**

**So, for now I'll give you part I of the epilogue as I still haven't managed to write all of it down, but I promise I'll do it as soon as I can (believe me, I'm as eager to write this down as you guys are to read it!)**

**A special thanks goes to theredhead93, JulieCS, Polkie2, CuteMcBeauty and daniellm for giving me lovely reviews and expressing your excitement with the story! Thanks a lot for you kind words and your contagious enthusiasm! 3**

**That's enough of my rambling now, you've waited long enough. I hope you enjoy this extended teaser. B xxxxxx**

**[Edit: Sooo, I've finally had the time to read this over and edit it. All those awful grammar mistakes were plucked out xD sorry about that!]**

* * *

**Epilogue - _part I_**

* * *

**New Year's Eve Eve - 7:52pm**

"You sure you'll be alright on your own?" She asked him, one foot out of the door, one hesitating inside.

"It's only pasta, love. You've showed me how to make this dish enough times, I can assure you I know all the steps by heart." He rolled his eyes in a manner he had definitely picked up from her flashing her a reassuring grin.

"Have you put salt in the water before adding the noodles?" "Aye." "Know which cabinet the noodle drainer is in?" "Top one, second door, yes." "Don't forget to-"

"Turn the flame out once the sauce is ready, aye, Swan. Don't worry, I won't nearly burn your entire kitchen down a second time. I can recall your warning quite clearly, love."

(_I'd hate to have to kick you out for being a walking home safety hazard._)

(He might have taken her warning tone to mean something more threatening than the sheer concern on her face if it wasn't for the simple fact that she'd proceeded to kiss him senseless afterwards - murmuring barely audible words of "you made me so worried" and "don't ever do that again you idiot" into his skin - before even giving him a chance to apologise for making a mess of her kitchen.)

"I'll be fine, love. Go now, don't you need to get whatever Mary Margaret asked for before the market closes?" He said over his shoulders, his hands too busy with the chopping board and the fresh parsley leaves to turn to face her.

One day, Emma thought, one day he would get used to the idea that supermarkets are called that due to their _super power_ of being open 24/7. There were still many wonders of this realm the pirate had yet to get used to. But, he was doing a good job, especially when it came to learning his way around the kitchen appliances and the food he insisted on cooking for her every single day. He'd said it was simply the best way to learn how to use a modern stove and frying pans, but she could read it in the dimpled smile that accompanied his concentrated frown how he had a secret passion for cooking - something she filed in the archives of her mind under _ask him about later_.

"Yeah. Getting the ham should be quick, then I just have to pick Henry up from Regina's. We'll be back in half an hour max." She all but shouted, finally grabbing the door knob. "And please don't turn the radio on if you're gonna be distracted and burn the place down." She added, emphasis on the exasperated tone in her voice.

He snorted. "Alright, alright. I'll see you soon, love."

He hadn't replied with his usual _as you wish_ whenever she asked him to do something. She rolled her eyes as she walked out closing the door behind her.

She knew he would do it anyway.

* * *

**New Year's Eve Eve - 9:46pm**

What was supposed to be a quick trip to the supermarket turned out to take much longer than Emma had expected. It turns out she wasn't the only one in Storybrooke who had some last minute shopping to do on New Year's Eve Eve. She made it to Regina's house 40 minutes later than originally planned and for that her punishment was having to endure the woman's vast repertoire of snark retorts during the few minutes that passed - though Emma's tired mind kept telling her it must have lasted for another 40 minutes at least - before Henry was ready to go.

"I'm ready. Bye, mum!" He said, giving Regina a quick hug and bouncing off to Emma's bug.

"Again, I'm sorry about that, Regina." Emma said with an apologetic smile. "You wouldn't believe how long the line until the cashiers was."

"It's fine, Emma. It's not like I didn't enjoy having him in for a bit longer." She replied with a softened frown and a smile - a small one, but still a smile - and for a few moments Emma was a little glad for the chaos she'd had to face in the supermarket if it meant that Henry had kept Regina company for a while longer. She was still grieving about Robin, and Emma doubted she would manage to put on a genuine smile for quite some time. But, if she was at least making an effort to be friendly, surely that meant some progress.

"So, we'll see you tomorrow for the party at Granny's?" Regina huffed out a deep sigh and shook her head in response. "Come on, Regina, you know it won't do you any good to spend New Year's Eve alone at home."

"I'll think about it. But thanks." Regina replied with another tight smile, and Emma had the feeling Regina knew she was right and would show up tomorrow despite the significant part of her that just wanted to stay home sulking over bottles of her favourite apple cider.

"Sure. Take care."

Emma got in the car and with a mere glimpse of Henry's glimmering eyes and his wide smile she already knew she wouldn't be able to deny whatever it was that he was about to ask her.

"Can we please stop at Granny's on our way home?" She opened her mouth to say something but he continued to speak regardless. "Please? We still have like 10 minutes before Ruby closes up."

"I'm sorry, kid, but Killian's been waiting to have dinner with us for almost an hour now."

"We'll bring him a cup, too! It can be our appetizer before the food. We can make this a new family tradition!" He said, his hopeful smile breaking through the remains of Emma's resolve.

She sighed. "Fine. But you'd better not lose your appetite because Killian cooked us dinner all by himself this time."

"Oh." Henry's eyes widened almost comically if it wasn't for the actual worry showing in his expression. "Then we should hurry to get the cocoas and get home quickly before he nearly destroys your kitchen again."

* * *

**New Year's Eve Eve - 9:57pm**

"Emma, it's good to see you! I think you're a bit early for the party, though." Ruby laughed as she greeted Emma with a friendly smile. "Let me guess, Henry desperately needs his hot cocoa with cinnamon?"

"Yep." Henry chimed in. "But make that three."

"Three?" Ruby asked pointedly looking at Emma.

"Yeah... Killian's waiting for us at home so we thought we should bring him some as well." Emma replied in a low voice, and she could feel herself starting to blush under Ruby's scrutinising gaze.

"Killian's at home waiting for the two of you? That's adorable, Em." She said placing her hand on Emma's shoulder and winking before moving away to get started on the drinks.

Henry left them to go the toilet and Emma couldn't tell if she was dreading or excited for the conversation that was sure to follow now that the two women were left alone. Ruby placed the first takeout cup on the counter with a smirk on her face and, surprisingly, all the nervousness in Emma's gut disappeared as she realised how she had missed having a friend to talk about these things with. Of course she told her mum about Killian but, even though Mary Margaret had been her first friend in town and was definitely her best friend, Emma missed having someone who wasn't part of her family to talk about the sort of things you only feel 100% comfortable discussing with a friend.

Which is why, when Ruby started enquiring about the most recent developments in her relationship with Killian, Emma found herself willingly - no, scratch that, - excitedly chirping about her love life to the she wolf in whom she knew she could find a true _friend._

"Mary Margaret tells me you guys have officially moved in together.." Ruby started a bit hesitantly, but finding in Emma's somewhat relaxed expression all the encouragement she needed to go on. "You know, it was about time, Emma. You and Killian have been dancing around your feelings for a while now, it's good that you finally allowed it to happen." She added with a understanding smile.

Emma's eyebrows instantly shot up. She was no more surprised at how Ruby's unusually careful approach to the topic than at how she had perceived Emma's reluctance to let her relationship with Killian so well from afar. It's not like she'd ever talked about it with her - hell she didn't even tell Mary Margaret that much. But somehow Ruby had seen them together enough times to notice how her body language spoke volumes. She wondered if Ruby's wolf senses had somewhat contributed to her perceptiveness.

"Come on, it's not like everybody doesn't see you guys making eyes at each other all the time." Ruby added huffing out a laugh.

"We don't make eyes." Emma rolled her eyes skyward and chuckled realising there was no point in trying to convince anyone of that, much less herself like she'd been doing before.

"Right, if you say so." Ruby raised both her hands up in a surrender gesture and went back to making the rest of the drinks, all the while speaking to Emma over her shoulders. "But I'm sure you're excited to spend New Year's Eve with your pirate boyfriend, hm?"

"As excited as I can be given I'll spend it with Killian _and _the rest of the city," she replied with a slightly confused tone to her voice. "Did you forget about the party tomorrow?"

Ruby sighed. "I'm talking about your little _private _after-party, Emma," she clarified with an unmistakable tone of pure lust etched into her words.

"Oh," Emma all but whispered, having been caught completely off guard. "I, uh... didn't have anything special planned." She felt her cheeks starting to burn with both the thoughts Ruby's implication prompted in her mind and the embarrassment for not having thought of that before.

How could she not have realised it? This would not only be their first New Year's together, but also the beginning of a new phase in their lives where everything would be different. For one thing, they'll be waking up together every single day. Damn it, of course it was a special occasion, and _of course _she had forgotten to think of a special way to celebrate it _with him_.

"Really? Well, there's still time to fix that." Ruby said offering her a crooked smile that hinted at the many ideas she already had for what Emma could do to make their night truly _memorable_.

"You think?"

"Yeah, I could help you find something nice to wear for him..." She trailed off, leaving the rest to Emma's imagination.

"Erm, won't that be a little awkward?" Emma said scrunching her nose with a comic grimace on her face.

Ruby turned to face her setting the last two cocoas on the counter, bursting into a laughter fit when she saw the look on Emma's face. "Only if you say it's awkward." Ruby rolled her eyes. "Listen, I really don't want a mental picture of you guys in bed so let's just focus on the part where I'm helping a friend find something sexy to wear on New Year's Eve, okay?"

"Yeah, I guess that could work." Emma laughed and helped Ruby set the three cups on a cardboard cup holder before clearing her throat and abruptly changing the -subject when she realised Henry was walking to them, her cheeks betraying their nonchalant chat about the weather forecast for tomorrow by blushing even more now that she was too aware of the presence of her son in the room.

"Can we go?" Henry asked as he took the cup holder from the counter and thanked Ruby with that shiny boyish smile of his. "Killian's just texted me asking where we are. Is your phone not working or something?"

"I ran out of batteries on my way to Regina's. We should hurry, he's probably worried sick about us at this point." She said, gently nudging Henry to the door with a hand over his shoulders. "Thanks, Ruby. I'll meet you here tomorrow?"

"Yep. I'll see you tomorrow, Em." She replied with a none too subtle eyebrow wiggle filled with mischievousness and a wolfish grin hanging on her lips.

* * *

**New Year's Eve Eve - 10:17pm**

Emma was looking for her keys as Henry and her crossed the corridor in long strides until they reached her door, both of them looking at each other with a thoroughly bemused look on their faces when they heard music coming from inside.

"So I guess this is going to become a regular thing." Henry told Emma making her giggle. She brough her index finger to her lips and tilted her head indicating the door.

"Shh, let's see what he's up to this time." She winked at Henry just before turning the key in the lock and opening her front door to find a rather domestic-looking Killian Jones still wearing the apron Henry had given him for Christmas (which, by the by, read 'kiss the cook' in bold red letters) as he scrubbed a wet cloth over the kitchen counter with a deep frown tugging his eyebrows together.

If that wasn't enough of a scene, Killian also had the radio on (_obviously_), as they had gathered from the noise coming from the apartment, and he was shamelessly singing the last song Emma could have expected him to like.

_You go talk to your friends, talk to my friends, talk to me_

Killian sang along passionately as if he really had a scoundrel ex-boyfriend for whom to be singing such lyrics - his thick accent emphasised the plosive 't' sounds, only making the episode all the more amusing for Emma and Henry, who were still able to witness the show without getting caught.

"_But we-EEE are never, ever, ever, EVER-_" He stopped mid-lyric when the flash of Henry's phone camera caught his attention.

"Getting back together?" Henry finished for him with the sassiest grin Emma had ever seen on her boy's face.

"Like. Ever." Emma added, high-fiving Henry before looking at the photo on his phone screen, both bursting into laughter with the image of the pirate wearing that ridiculous apron, wet cloth in hand, hook resting on his hips, mouth ajar and eyes closed as he going for a high-pitched key.

Killian staggered towards them with furious astonishment taking over his features and seemingly going into his angry pirate mode - though the deep crimson that spread all over his cheeks and the tips of his slightly pointy ears betrayed whatever imposing stance he was trying to take.

"Spying on a man without him acknowledging your presence, that's bad form, lad." He said, glaring at Henry, whose response was simply to laugh even harder until he was forced to stop or his aching cheeks might never go back into a serious expression again.

Henry lightly tapped him on the shoulder with a smirk, still chuckling as he said, "don't worry mr. Hook, your secret is safe with me. Maybe." He ran off to his room before Killian could say anything.

"If he thinks he's going to show that picture to a living soul then he's going to be in serious trouble-" Killian started to say when Emma quickly cut him off.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll give him some _trouble, trouble, trouble_." She sang in an exaggerated high pitch, not managing to stifle a very unladylike snort as she started to giggle again when his eyes widened in what she was pretty sure was either an indignant or a sarcastic expression.

"I beg your pardon, Swan?" His brows pinched together in confusion.

"Nevermind, I'll show you that song someday." Emma managed to huff out the words in between new bursts of laughter that bubbled involuntarily from her lips.

"Ah, so now the lady is jesting with me, too?" He narrowed his eyes and scowled at her.

"Aye, sir. But if it makes you feel any better, you've never looked more devilishly handsome than with this apron on." She said, biting the inside of her cheek to prevent another laughter fit.

His tongue darted out to moisten his bottom lip in that offensively attractive way of his, immediately attracting Emma's gaze in that direction. He brought his arms to her lower back, pulling her closer until their bodies touched.

"It seems you're the one who's going to be in for trouble, lass. Haven't you heard messing with a pirate can have _dangerous _consequences?"

"Is that so?"

"Aye, Swan. But, alas, I'm afraid you'll need your energy refuelled before I deal with you later. Shall we finally have dinner?"

"As long as you haven't added too much paprika to the sauce this time again, yes, we shall."

He scowled at her rolling his eyes skyward. A dashing crooked smile betrayed his mock glare though, and he placed a soft kiss to her forehead before nudging her towards the kitchen and walking over to the corridor to call Henry for dinner.

* * *

**End of part I**

* * *

**Well, this is it for now. Again, I'm so sorry for not giving you a full update but part II will be up really soon! Thank you all for sticking with me through this story, and for your lovely reviews and messages. It means the world to me to see that you guys enjoy this story, as I've grown really attached to it :)**

**Review?**


	9. Finale - Epilogue part II

**At last, the final part of this story! Killian and Emma will get their deserved _private _fireworks show. I'm still not over how he wasn't there to see her putting on a show in 4.08, so here's me fixing that!**

**Thank you all for staying with me throughout this journey, it's been wonderful writing my first long fic with such great feedback I've been getting from you guys. I hope this ending lives up to your expectations. It got angst-ier than originally planned but I believe it was a good way of closing up. **

**We'll have a special guest in this part: BELLE! And the issue of Killian's heart will _finally _be addressed - I know some of you, like me, wish the winter finale hadn't been so rushed and that they had time to talk about it. Well, here is some of it :)**

**There might be a sequel to this story, as I think this is quite a nice platform to write canon divergence from. I'll let you know by posting updates on this story, so make sure to hit the follow button if you're interested *wink wink***

**And last, but by no means least, thank you so much to: JulieCS, AZGirl1221, theredhead93 and daniellm.**

**Enjoy! xxx**

* * *

**Epilogue - part II**

_I'm captivated by you, baby, like a fireworks show_

* * *

**New Year's Eve - 12:49pm**

"Hey, what do you think about this one?" Ruby asked while holding up a matching pair of red lace.

"Hm... not my style. But you should definitely try it on." Emma said, giving Ruby a wink before going back to looking through more lingerie sets.

"This one is cute, and I think it's totally your style but maybe not for tomorrow." Ruby threw said pair at Emma, who caught it on reflex just before it hit her face. She carefully inspected the navy blue lingerie and ran her fingers over the soft material of the bra thinking it was indeed something she would wear normally, only not tonight.

"I love it. But, you're right, I think for tonight I should wear something-"

"Darker?" Ruby finished her sentence putting on her wolfish grin just like the night before.

"Yeah." Emma blushed slightly.

"How about this one, then?"

Emma raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Perfect. I'll take this, and the blue pair, too. Are you taking the red lace?"

"Yeah, Victor said he's got a little surprise for me after the party. I guess it wouldn't hurt to be prepared for whatever it is he has in mind." The pair of them moved to the cashiers together laughing out loud like a couple of teenagers.

Later, as they were walking out of the store, Ruby asked, "Do you know if Belle and Regina are coming tonight?"

"Mary Margaret invited them, and both said they didn't feel up for it."

"It's a shame," Ruby said grimacing, "they could use some time with their friends rather than moping around all by themselves. And Belle worries me the most. I mean, at least Regina has Henry to keep her company when he's with her."

"You're right. I talked to Regina yesterday and she looked much better than before. I'm pretty sure she'll end up coming tonight. But Belle, I don't know. When was the last you saw of her?" Emma frowned thoughtfully.

It was Ruby's turn to frown in deep thought, and when she looked up at Emma after a few moments of being silent she seemed quite worried. "Emma, the last time I saw Belle was the day after she banished Gold from the town. No one's seen her ever since. And she hasn't even been opening the library anymore."

Emma heaved a loud sigh as she thought her ham would simply have to wait. She had to make sure Belle was alright, and she'd been meaning to thank her properly for saving Killian's life ever since that eventful evening, and this would make for the perfect opportunity. "That can't mean anything good. I'm going to check on her now and try to convince her to show up tonight."

"Good luck. Tell her I said hi and I want to see her there tonight, too!" Ruby said, giving Emma a quick hug before saying, "I'll see you later, and make sure you hide those from Killian until tonight."

At least, Emma thought, when she got home later with relatively little time left to start cooking the ham from scratch, and then get ready for the party, she'd have a valid excuse to keep Killian in the kitchen and far away from the bedroom. That way he could help her making the food faster and there was no chance he would accidentally find a small bag underneath Emma's pillow or peek inside it to find the pretty things she would wear tonight and spoil his own surprise.

* * *

**New Year's Eve - 4:19pm**

"I missed you today, Swan." Killian said, greeting Emma with a soft kiss on her lips.

"I missed you, too." She said, bringing her arms around his waist and burying her nose in his neck. She could instantly feel her senses awakening with the sweet, intoxicating smell of him. "Did you get my note?"

"Aye. Did you manage to sort everything out with Mary Margaret for the party?"

"Yep, except I still got a whole glazed ham to prepare and I'm gonna need your help otherwise there's no way we'll make it in time." She pouted and batted her eyelashes at him. "Please, help out a damsel in distress?"

"I know better than to take you for a damsel in distress, Swan. You taught me that yourself." He replied, kissing the tip of nose after she'd scrunched it and stuck her tongue out at him in response. "But I also know I am incapable of denying you anything, love."

"Good." She placed a soft kiss to his lips and led him by the hand to the kitchen. "You can start unwrapping the ham and pre-heating the oven and I'll be right back." He looked at her as though he could see through her façade and knew she was up to something.

"I just need to put away some clothes I bought today."

"If you say so, love." He chuckled and winked at her before doing as he was told.

Damn it. He was too perceptive for his own good. Emma placed the tiny bag with her shopping bellow her pillow and she was about to go back to the kitchen. But, she thought twice and decided to hide it even better by shoving it inside the pillowcase, turning the pillow upside down so that the side containing the small bag was facing the mattress. She would try to prevent him from entering the room without her, but she wanted to make sure nothing would ruin the surprise. She wouldn't miss the look in his face when he saw her wearing it for the world.

* * *

**New Year's Eve - 11:28pm**

"Everyone, if I could have your attention to say a few words." Mary Margaret said, standing up from her booth and handing baby Neal to David. "I'd like to thank every single one of you for being here tonight. This has been a tough year, for all of us. We-" She stopped talking when she heard the door open, and everybody turned their heads towards the sound.

"I hope I'm not too late for the party," Belle said as she entered Granny's with a glass baking tray and an apologetic smile. "I do hope some dessert can make up for it."

"As long as nobody neglects my apple turnovers for it." Regina said, standing from her seat, which was the closest one to the front door, and walking over to Belle. "It's good to see you, Belle. As much as I hate to admit it, the Charmings are right. It doesn't do you any good to stay home grieving all alone."

"I'm guessing you also had to hear a speech to convince you to come tonight?"

"I did. And I also had to hear a lot of whining from Henry on top of that, so there was no point in trying to resist." Regina said shrugging and Belle chuckled. "Can I take this to the fridge for you?"

"Yes, thank you, Regina." She replied with a smile.

Emma got up from the seat she was sharing with Killian in their booth and walked over to Belle.

"I told you this wouldn't be a real party without your crème brûlée." Belle smiled and shook her head.

"Thank you for coming, Belle. I know you're going through a lot right now, but I meant what I said to you earlier. You don't have to deal with it by yourself. I want to help you in any way I can, even if it means dragging you here to spend New Year's Eve with us."

"Well, as much as I was looking forward to spending the night in the company of my favourite novel and a cup of tea, I'm sure I'll be able to stand you all for a few hours."

"I hope so." Emma smiled. "Listen, I know I thanked you before, but-" She took a deep breath trying to control her voice, which was threatening to start cracking just like it did when she'd tried having this same conversation earlier that day. "Belle, I won't ever be able to repay you for what you did. If you hadn't showed up there, I- Killian would-" Emma bit her bottom lip and gave up trying to finish that sentence with words, the look of understanding in Belle's eyes enough proof that she had perfectly understood her meaning.

"Point being, I want to help you somehow. And not just because I'm the Saviour and that's what I'm supposed to do."

Belle put her hand on Emma's shoulder offering her a friendly smile. "I know, Emma. And you don't have to thank me for anything. We've been having enough heartbreak in here lately. We sure don't need any more broken hearts, literally or not."

Emma chuckled - had she really just heard a pun about crushing someone's heart? And actually _laughed _at it? She must have been doing an even better job at hiding her fear for having nearly lost Killian than she'd thought.

"Also," Belle continued, "I had really misjudged Ho- Killian. I used to think he would never be capable of truly changing, and I made that very clear to him saying that he couldn't do it because he wasn't like Rumple." Emma could have sworn she saw tears taking shape in Belle's eyes, but she quickly lowered her head for a few moments. When she looked at Emma again there were no tears to be found there, though her eyes were slightly red rimmed. "I didn't do it for him or for you, but I guess in a way I had some pending matters with Killian regarding hearts and changing for love. I still need to talk to him properly about it, but I can't do that right now."

"It's okay. All you have to worry about tonight is having fun and hoping that next year will be much better for all of us." Emma put her arm around Belle's shoulders and gently led her to a seat close to Ruby, who gave held her friend close for a while and then nodded in Mary Margaret's direction.

"We're really happy to have you here, Belle. We can only imagine what you must be going through right, and I want you to know I'm here for you. We all are." Belle looked around, and she was surprised to see everybody giving her their best sympathetic smiles and even a few thumbs up, rather than the pitying looks she had dreaded before deciding to come.

"As I was saying, this was a tough year for all of us. We've known loss, we've known tragedy, but let us not forget we've also known hope. We defeated a harsh winter without shedding blood. We faced a curse that was supposed to tear us all apart, but only brought us closer to each other. We've made it through all of that, and we know we'll also make it through anything as long as we stay together and we maintain our hope." David handed her a glass of wine and she raised it, everyone else in the room following suit, even Killian, who raised his flask - for of course he'd be celebrating the new year with rum rather than wine.

"Here's to _hoping _for a better year, and that it may be filled with the joy and peace we all deserve. Cheers!" Mary Margaret said, before clicking glasses with David and kissing him.

"Cheers, love." Killian raised his flask at Emma, who clinked her glass of wine with it before swiftly snatching it from his hand and taking a swig, the liquid burning down her throat deliciously. She placed both drinks on the table beside them before grabbing the collar of Killian's jacket and pulling him forward for a passionate kiss.

"Cheers, Killian." She said, while he attempted to draw some air back into his lungs. "We still have about ten minutes til midnight now, so unless you really want to stay for dessert, how about we go watch the fireworks just the two of us?"

He twisted his lips in a grimace and said, "I don't know, love. I've heard wonderful things of Belle's crème brûlée only to miss it now." Emma's eyes widened comically and she opened her mouth in feigned hurt as she punched him on the shoulder. He laughed heartily, the sound reverberating out of his chest and making the hairs in her neck stand up as she felt adrenaline coursing through her bloodstream. She was bold and daring and audacious tonight, and she wasn't feeling half as nervous as she thought she would be.

Killian stopped laughing to take her hand in his and bring it to his lips. He placed a soft kiss to her knuckles keeping his eyes locked with hers all the time, the same way he'd done after they had climbed the beanstalk together; and it had the very same effect on her as the first time, sending shivers down her spine and making her stomach do a single, solid flip.

"As you wish." He said, grinning mischievously at her.

They walked out of Granny's hand in hand. Killian stopped walking and turned to face her, but before he could do so much as open his mouth to ask her where they were headed, Emma closed her eyes and puffed them out of there.

* * *

**New Years Eve - 11:54pm**

Killian looked around them, noticing he was still holding Emma's hand, inspecting their surroundings for a few moments before speaking. "Where exactly are we, love?"

"You'd think a pirate would be able to recognise the sea." Emma teased, at which he let out another laughter that rang through her ears causing her heart to race with anticipation.

"That much I gathered. Do you mind telling me whose boat is this, Swan?" He looked at her with an eyebrow raised questioningly.

They were in a small boat in the middle of what seemed to his experienced eyes like the open sea. The boat had a small cabin below deck, which was only large enough to fit a double bed, a small table and a couple of chairs, all of which he saw from the opened doorway. He looked back at Emma wiggling both eyebrows up this time, moistening his bottom lip with his tongue in a quick, almost imperceptible motion, but which surely attracted Emma's eyes there all the same.

"Somebody's." She shrugged trying to sound casual and unaffected, her flushed cheeks certainly betraying her nonchalance even in the darkness that enveloped them. "I'm sure they won't miss it tonight."

He smiled at her, a smile that seemed to shine brighter than all the starts they could perfectly distinguish above head now that they were far away from the city lights.

"Have I ever told you you'd make one hell of a pirate, Swan?" his hooked arm tugged her closer to him, resting on her lower back as his hand gripped firmly on her waist.

"I'm pretty sure you have." She bit her bottom lip.

"Is this the surprise you were planning earlier or is there something else you're still hiding from me, love?"

"How do you even know that?" She tilted her to the side and regarded him with incredulity sparkling in her eyes.

He chuckled. "Open book, darling." She rolled her eyes. "So, may I kiss you now or do I have to wait for something more?"

"Oh, you might be interested in waiting for this." She said, putting just enough distance between them so she could bring both her hands between them and move her fingers, closing her eyes in concentration.

Killian was so lost in his own reverie as he marvelled at her that it took him a few moments to notice the bright colours painting the sky above them, and then he finally looked up to see a series of fireworks exploding wonderfully, _magically_. Emma was literally making her light and colour burst through the darkness around him, and he thought he couldn't love her more than he did at that moment - but then again that same thought had been occurring to him too often these days for him to believe it every single time. He'd settled for adding a _perhaps _to his own line of thought whenever this came to his mind.

Emma opened her eyes and smiled, feeling at the same time proud and relieved that her powers worked like she'd wanted them to, and next feeling her heart nearly burst with happiness when she saw the wide grin that stretched Killian's lips from ear to ear, adding a boyish charm to his _too handsome _countenance.

She brought her arms around his neck and placed a kiss to his cheek before whispering in his ear, "Happy New Year, Killian." He looked at her and she could see how happy he, too, was to be sharing that moment with her. "Since you missed my first show after I left the manor and you disappeared, I thought you would enjoy your own _private _fireworks."

He kissed her lips softly, but firmly, lingering for a few moments before pulling back. "I love it. Happy New Year, my love."

Emma brought her hand up to cup his cheek, tracing the scar on his right cheek with her thumb. She looked into his eyes and felt all the tension from the words stuck in her throat drop from her shoulders, green getting lost in blue until she felt the words slipping out of her mouth effortlessly.

"I wanted to make tonight special, Killian, because it's a night I want to remember as the beginning of a new phase for us. I want this to be the beginning of a year where we won't be constantly running _after_ or _away from_ one another. This is _our _beginning, and I wanted to make it memorable."

Killian crashed his lips on hers, his hooked arm bringing her impossibly closer to him until every inch of their bodies touched, his hand on the back of her neck changing the angle to deepen the kiss, his lips smiling against hers when a soft moan escaped her throat. He nipped at her lip lightly before pulling away and resting his forehead against hers.

"Emma..." he attempted to say before realising he still needed a few moments before he regained his ability to speak fluently again, during which time Emma opened her eyes to look at his face from so close, revelling in the way her name sounded like a plea in his lips.

"Emma, love, thank you. I'll never forget this night. Just as I'll never forget the night you told me how you were afraid of losing me," he pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. "Just as when you kissed my stump and helped me through my insecurities on the first night we spent together;" he ran his fingers around her neck and brought them to her face, brushing his knuckles along her jaw; "when you first told me you loved me even though I'd always known it." He brought his face closer to bump his nose against hers in that endearing way of his that made her heart squeeze every time he did it. "Tonight is certainly making it to that list, and I hope it shall keep getting longer with the many New Years we'll be celebrating together."

"Sure you'll be able to remember all of that? People usually start to forget things after their first few hundred years of life."

He chuckled and kissed her once more, biting on her lower lip again for teasing him. "I love you, Emma."

"I love you, Killian." She said, bringing both hands to his face and pulling him into another passionate kiss, a delicious mess of lips, tongues, hands and arms making their heads start to spin wonderfully, until air became a necessity and they had to pull back to breathe.

"Are you ready for the final part of your surprise?" She barely whispered to him, their mouths so close that their breaths were mingling together, and judging by the way his pupils had rapidly widened, he'd heard her perfectly clear.

She didn't wait for a reply, moving out of his embrace as she felt her magic starting to prickle her fingertips, her powers coming to life from their kiss, her entire body ready for action. She locked her eyes with his as she raised both her hands and made a cloud of platinum blue smoke surround her. The smoke dissipated revealing Emma dressed in nothing but a thin black lace dress, the black forming a stunning contrast to the way her alabaster skin seemed to glow under the moonlight, her siren green eyes like a beacon hauling him irresistibly to her. She saw his hungry eyes scanning her from head to toe and back up again before he closed the distance between them and lifted her up into his arms.

"I'm afraid you were mistaken, love." He told her with a smug grin as he carried her to the cabin below deck.

"Was I?"

"Aye. I believe my private fireworks show is just about to begin."

* * *

_Get me with those green eyes, baby, as the lights go down,  
Give me something that will haunt me, when you're not around,  
'Cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile._

**The End**

* * *

**This is it, my darling cupcakes! I hope you enjoyed the ending and please let me know what you think! Thank you so much for staying with me during this story :) xxxx**

**Review?**


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